Elevator and building arrangement



Dec. 31, 1968 c. H. HAGEL 3,419,161

ELEVATOR AND BUILDING ARRANGEMENT Filed March 25, 1965 Sheet 0f 4 Fig.1

Inventorcam. HEINRICH H1765?- Dec. 31, 1968 c. H. HAGEL ELEVATOR ANDBUILDING ARRANGEMENT Shet Filed March 25, 1965 Inventor.-

cnm. #E/NRIU/ [/4651- Dec. 31, 1968 c. H. HAGEL ELEVATOR AND BUILDINGARRANGEMENT Sheet Filed March 25, 1965 CHRL l/FINR/CW #4662 Dec. 31,1968 c. H. HAGEL 3,419,161

ELEVATOR AND BUILDING ARRANGEMENT Filed March 25, 1965 Sheet 4 of 4Fig.l3

mmmm x \x Inventor:

3,419,161 ELEVATOR AND BUILDING ARRANGEMENT Carl Heinrich Hagel, 24Eintrachtstrasse, Dortmund 46, Germany Filed Mar. 25, 1965, Ser. No.442,645 Claims priority, application Austria, Apr. 13, 1964, A 3,186/642 Claims. (Cl. 21416.1)

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An elevator structure wherein a rotatablydriven carriage is guided on a stationary, vertical helical track formovement along the axis thereof to position a load carrier at a selectedelevation, the load carrier being independently rotatable relative tothe carriage to assume a given angular orientation upon arrival at suchelevation and to reduce centrifugal forces due to carriage rotation andacting upon objects carried by the load carrier.

This invention relates in general to elevators and building structureswhich are arranged to accommodate elevators, and more particularly to anelevator and building structure arrangement having a helical track uponwhich an elevator load carrier is guided and move up and down forconveying load items, such as vehicles, betwen various levels of thebuilding.

For the purpose of illustration and example, the

description of the invention herein is centered around a particularapplication, specifically, the use of an elevator and buildingarrangement according to the invention which is particularly adapted forthe storage of vehicles, such as automobiles. However, as will beappreciated by those skilled in the art, the elevator and buildingarrangement according to the instant invention can be used for numerousother purposes, and readily adapted for such other uses in an obviousmanner. Furthermore, the elevator construction according to theinvention is suitable for general use by itself, such as for example,where it is desired merely to transport persons to an elevatedobservation position.

In the construction of multi-story garage buildings, it is known toarrange the storage spaces or chambers for accommodating vehicles in anannular ring around an elevator shaft which serves for the guidance of avehicle carrier or lift having a rotatable vehicle support platform. Byusing a rotatable vehicle support platform in such a prior artarrangement, a vehicle can be brought into the building along a selectedpath leading to the elevator shaft, transferred onto the vehiclecarrier, raised or lowered to a selected storage level, and transferredthereat to an unoccupied storage area. with the support platform beingrotated so that the vehicle can be moved in a straight line from thecarrier into the intended storage area. To remove vehicles from theirstorage areas in the building, this procedure is reversed.

One of the disadvantages of such prior art garage elevator arrangementswhich is eliminated by the elevator arrangement of the instant inventionis the need for frequent inspection, maintenance and replacement of thewire ropes used for operating certain prior art elevators. By using aload carrying member such as a vehicle carrier which is supported by avertically disposed helical guide track and suitable drive means formoving the vehicle carrier relative to the guide track, vehicles andother load items can be conveyed between different positions and levelsalong the guide track without the need for any wire rope and pulleydrive arrangement as used in those prior art elevator systems.

3,419,161 Patented Dec. 31, 1968 The use of wire rope and pulley drivingarrangements in prior art elevators presented a severe maintenance andsafety problem, since wire ropes are subjected to wear and fatiguefailure when continually driven around pulleys. Although by usingpulleys having a large diameter relative to that of the rope, it ispossible to reduce bending stresses and fatigue failure in the rope, theuse of large pulleys does not alleviate the wear problem. In many garageelevator applications, the size of the pulleys which can be used islimited by the available space, and thus, the extent to which bendingstresses in the ropes can be reduced is somewhat restricted.

Another advantage of the elevator construction according to theinvention lies in the feature that the drive means used for moving theload carrier can be supported directly by the load carrier itself. Forexample, the load carrier can be driven up and down along the helicaltrack by means of one or more drive wheels attached to the carrier whichengage the track. In contrast to the prior art elevators which requireda space at the top of the elevator shaft for housing the drive pulleys,which the height of this space being frequently equal to that of onestory of the building in which the elevator is installed, the elevatoraccording to the instant invention requires no such extra space for itsdrive mechanism, and its load carrier can in general be driven betweenthe lowermost and uppermost extremities of the track.

Furthermore, the load carrier driving arrangement of the instantinvention eliminates the need for periodic adjustment of load carrierstopping station positions in cases where automatic position control isprovided. In prior art elevators using wire rope drive systems,variations in rope length due to stretching and load variations made itnecessary to make frequent compensating adjustments in the stoppingstation positions.

In essence, the concept of the elevator and building arrangementaccording to the invention is quite simple, and is based upon the sameprinciples as the motion of a nut upon a screw, with the nutcorresponding to the load carrier and the screw corresponding to thehelical guide track.

Accordingly, the invention is susceptible of several alternativeerrodiments and variations thereof. For example, the helical track canbe of open construction like a coil spring with spaced-apart turns, andmounted within a cylindrical well passage provided in a building, withthe load carrier being mounted inside of the track and movably supportedthereby so that the load carrier can be displaced along the direction ofthe track longitudinal axis by rotating it relative thereto. In thisembodiment the load carrier moves along the track axis in the manner ofa male threaded nut in a female threaded hollow shaft.

Alternatively, the load carrier can be constructed in a completelyannular, or segmental annular form and supported on the outside of theguide track so as to be axially rrovable in the manner of a femalthreaded nut on a male threaded screw. In this case, the helical trackcan be mounted to the outside of a cylindrical multi-story structurewhich is preferably of open construction so that vehicles can betransferred from the load carrier into storage areas provided at thevarious levels inside the structure.

If desired, an elevator arrangement according to the invention can beprovided which has an annular load carrier that is movable up and downwithin an annular well provided inside of a building. Such anarrangement will permit the transfer of vehicles between the loadcarrier and storage areas bordering on both the outer and innerboundaries of the annular well.

While the operation of the elevator according to the S invention hasbeen described in terms of the motion of a nut upon a screw, this by nomeans implies that a threaded engagement is necessary between the loadcarrier and the guide track, or that the load carrier itself mustnecessarily rotate in the manner of a nut as it advances axially alongthe guide track.

Although a mating threaded engagement between the load carrier and theguide track can be used, it is preferable to use an undercarriage whichis connected to the load carrier, and which has wheels that engage thetrack for supporting and driving the load carrier. In such a case, thewheels are journaled to arms which extend from the undercarriage, withsaid arms having lengths which enable the load carrier to be supportedby the undercarriage in a horizontally level attitude. The wheels aredriven so as to rotate the undercariage about the guide track axis,thereby causing said undercarriage to advance axially in the manner of anut rotatably driven along a screw. By pivotally connecting the loadcarrier to the undercarriage and providing means for counterrotating theload carrier with respect to the undercarriage, such as for example,counterrotation means responsive to the undercarriage wheel drive means,the angular position of the load carrier about the guide track axis canbe made independent of the angular position of the undercarriage.

The elevator arrangement of the prevent invention also features anopposition load transfer mechanism which can be operated either undermanual or automatic control to transfer vehicles and other load itemsbetween the load carrier and adjacent storage and receiving areas. Theload transfer mechanism is supported by the load carrier so as to becapable of operation at each of the various storage levels services bythe load carrier, and includes means for grasping and drawing a vehiclefrom an adjacent delivery platform onto the load carrier in a selecteddirection of alignment, and discharging said ve hicle from the loadcarrier onto an adjacent receiving platform. Thus, where it is desiredto place a vehicle in a selected elevated storage area in a garagebuilding, the vehicle can be driven under its own power up to a deliveryplatform on a lower story of the building, drawn onto the load carrierby the transfer mechanism, and brought up on the load carrier to thelevel of the intended storage area. At this level, the load carrier isrotated by the counterrotation means to align the transfer mechanism inthe direction of the intended storage area so that when the vehicle istransferred to the receiving platform it will be oriented in a directionthat will permit it to be driven in a straight line into the selectedstorage area. To remove a vehicle in such an elevated storage area, itis only necessary to reverse the aforesaid procedure.

Since in the axial motion of the load carrier and its undercarriage, theundercarriage following the helical guide track undergoes simultaneousrotation about the helical axis, this rotation can be utilized to alignthe load carrier transfer mechanism in a given radial direction as itarrives at a selected level within the building. This can beaccomplished according to the invention by an automatic control meansresponsive to the angular position of the undercarriage relative to theguide track axis, and respective to the angular position of the loadcarrier relative to the undercarriage. For example, the radial positionand elevation differential of the intended storage area can beprogrammed into the automatic control means to cause said control meansto adjust the counterrotation rate of the load carrier relative to theundercarriage so that when the load carrier arrives at the selectedstorage area level, the transfer mechanism is aligned radially with thestor age area, so that no further rotation at that level is required.Such an arrangement would permit immediate operation of the transfermechanism upon arrival at the storage area and would speed up thestorage and delivery of the vehicles from the building.

This type of automatically controlled elevator operation can be providedin each of the several embodiments of the invention, regardless ofwhether an annulus or circular load carrier is used, or whether in thecase of an annular load carrier it rides on an inside or an outsidehelical track.

As Will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the uses of ahelical track for guiding and lifting the load carrier offers asubstantially inherent mechanical advan tage. For example, the pitch ofthe helical track, preferably made equal to the height of a story in thebuilding, or slightly greater for sufficient height clearance intransferring vehicles between the load carrier and storage areas inthose embodiments of the invention wherein load transfer necessarilyoccurs through the spacing between adjacent turns of the track. By usinga guide track helix of sufficient diameter in relation to its pitch, aselected mechanical advantage in lifting the load carrier and load itemssupported thereby can be obtained.

However, a high mechanical lifting advantage can only be achieved at thesacrifice of lifting rate for a given undercarriage rotation speed.Accordingly, the selection of the guide track helix diameter will dependupon the desired lifting rate and permissible undercarriage rotationspeed in a given application, as well as other considerations such asavailable space and cost.

It is therefore, an object of the invention to provide an elevatorarrangement that is suitable for transferring vehicles and other loaditems between various storage area levels in a building.

Another object of the invention is to provide an elevator arrangement asaforesaid which is relatively free from excessive wear on its movableparts, so as to require a minimum amount of inspection and maintenance.

Another and further object of the invention is to provide an elevatorarrangement as aforesaid which is automatically controlled.

Still another and further object of the invention is to provide anelevator arrangement in combination with a building having storage areaswhich are radially aligned with respect to the elevator so as to permitvehicles to be transferred between the elevator and such storage areasalong straight radial paths.

Another object of the invention is to provide an elevator having meansfor transferring vehicles and other load items between a load carrierand adjacent areas of various levels in a storage building.

Other and further objects of the invention will become apparent from thefollowing detailed description and accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is an elevation view, partly in section, of a storage buildingadapted for use in combination with the elevator according to apreferred embodiment of the invention, and showing a typicalinstallation of the helical guide track therefor.

FIG. 2 is a horizontal transverse sectional view of the building of FIG.1 taken along line IIII therein.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 2, showing the detailswithin the circle III therein.

FIG. 4 is an axial elevation sectional vieW through a load carryingplatform and load transfer mechanism of an elevator according to anotherembodiment of the invention, showing a vehicle in a typical positionprior to its transfer onto the platform and showing adjacent portions ofa surrounding building.

FIG. 5 is a portion of the axial elevation section view of FIG. 4showing a typical position assumed by the vehicle and load transfermechanism when the front wheels of the vehicle are lifted thereby.

FIG. 6 is a side elevation view, partly in section, of a portion of thearrangement of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a top plan view of the arrangement shown in FIG. 4.

FIG. 8 is an elevational sectional view of a portion of a typical loadcarrying member suitable for use in the arrangement of FIGS. 4 and 7,together with its undercarriage and drive means.

FIG. 9 is a top plan view of a horizontal section through an alternativebuilding structure which can be used in combination with the elevatorarrangement of the invention.

FIG. is a top plan view of a horizontal section through another buildingstructure which can be used in combination with the elevator arrangementaccording to another embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 11 is a top plan view of a horizontal section through anotherbuilding structure which can be used in combination with the elevatorarrangement according to another alternative embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 12 is a top plan view of a horizontal section through still anotherbuilding structure which can be used in combination with the elevatorarrangement of FIG. 11.

FIG. 13 is an elevation view, partly in section, of a building structureand elevator arrangement according to another embodiment of theinvention.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, wherein some of the details have beenomitted for purposes of clarity, the building B accommodates an elevatorE which travels up and down within a hollow cylindrical well 1 providedtherein, said well being bordered by a helically wrapped floor 2, in anarrangement similar to that of a spiral ramp or staircase. The floor 2is preferably provided with horizontal fiat stepped portions S arrangedin radial symmetry with respect to the longitudinal axis X of thecylindrical well 1. These stepped sections S together with radial walls3 and 4, define a plurality of storage area chambers 12, such as can beused for storing vehicles and other load items.

At the inner boundary of the floor 2 is affixed a guide track 5 which ispart of the elevator B, said track 5 being likewise helical andconcentric with the axis X and also preferably vertical. The track 5serves to guide a load carrying member in the form of a circularplatform 8 which is also part of the elevator E, and which is driven upand down within the well 1 and is supported by said track 5 via rollerwheels 6 which are journaled to frame arms 7 of an undercarriage C.

The load carrying platform 8 is connected to and supported by theundercarriage C by means of rollers or wheels 9 which are guided in acircular track T fixedly mounted to the undercarriage C. As shown inmore detail in FIG. 8, the wheels 6 are in guiding engagement with thehelical track 5, with at least one wheel 6 being rotatably driven by amotor 11 which is also supported by the undercarriage C, preferably at aframe arm 7 thereof.

For simplicity, it is preferable that only one wheel 6 be motor-driven,to avoid the need for synchronization between a plurality ofmotor-driven wheels 6. However, if desired, a plurality of wheels 6 canbe power driven, in which case synchronization means (not shown) areprovided to maintain all drive wheels 6 at the same peripheral speed.

Since it is ordinarily desired to maintain the undercarriage C and loadcarrier platform 8 in a horizontally level attitude, the frame arms 7which extend from said undercarriage C at various stations around itsperiphery, are made of such individual lengths that when theirrespectively journaled wheels 6 are in contact with the guide track 5,the undercarriage C is level. These lengths can be simply determined bythe application of merely routine engineering calculations for a givenhelical track 5.

To maintain a stable undercarriage C and platform 8 attitude, at leastthree frame arms 7 and wheel 6 supports must be used. Ordinarily, itwill be desirable to provide more than three frame arms 7 and wheel 6supports for the undercarriage C, preferably in a symmetrically disposedarrangement with respect to the center of the undercarriage C.

The motor 10, as in the case of the motor 11 which serves to rotate theundercarriage C about the axis X, is

for simplicity, preferably connected to drive only one of the wheels 9,so as to provide means for independently rotating the platform 8 withrespect to the undercarriage C. However, if desired, and with theinclusion of suitable synchronizing means (not shown) a plurality ofwheels 9 can be power driven, either by individual motors 10, or by oneor more motors 10 via an appropriate transmission (not shown). Likewise,a minimum of three wheels 9 are required for stably supporting theplatform 8 upon the undercarriage C.

Since the circular track T will be horizontally level with theundercarriage C, the wheels 9 are journaled at equal distances from thebottom of the platform 8 to support members extending downwardtherefrom. For convenience, the wheels 9 can be journaled to a commoncircular ring or channel R which is fastened to the bottom of theplatform 8 so as to be concentric with the axis X which is the center ofrotation of said platform 8.

When the wheels 6 are rotated by the motor 11, the undercarriage C isrotated about the axis X of the helical track 5 and is simultaneouslyadvanced either up or down along said axis X, in the manner of a nutrotating upon a screw, with the direction of advancement depending uponthe direction in which the wheels 6 are rotated.

By rotating the wheels 9 via the motor 10, so as to produce acounterrotation of the platform 8 about axis X relative to theundercarriage C, the angular position of said platform 8 can becontrolled independently with respect to the rotation of theundercarriage C. For example, by driving the wheels 9 to rotate theplatform 8 at an angular velocity equal, but opposite to that of theundercarriage C, the platform 8 can be maintained at a constant angularorientation with respect to the building B and chambers 12 therein assaid platform 8 is moved along the axis X with the undercarriage C. Byrotating the platform 8 at an angular velocity either slightly greateror slightly less than the undercarriage C, but opposite thereto, theplatform 8 can be imparted with a relatively low angular velocity wit-hrespect to the building B, said angular velocity being equal to thedifferential between the absolute angular velocity of the undercarriageC with respect to the axis X, and the angular velocity of the platform 8relative to the undercarriage C.

This type of operation enables the platform 8 to be oriented at acomfortably low angular velocity as it is moved up or down by theundercarriage C, so that when it arrives at a given elevation within thebuilding B, a given radial line on the platform 8 will be directed at agiven compartment 12 at that elevation. Such an arrangement permits avehicle V to be driven along any arbitrary radial line onto the platform8 and to be conveyed thereby to a selected compartment 12 level, and tobe transferred thereto with only simple, straight line motion.

While in the case of the spiral arrangement of the compartments 12illustrated in FIG. 1, the undercarriage C and platform 8 could belocked to rotate together, and in such case, the independent platform 8rotation wheels 9 and motor 10 could be eliminated, because the helicaltrack 5 and adjacent spiral floor 2 have the same pitch, the eliminationof the independent rotation capability in platform 8 would impose aspeed limit on the operation of the elevator E.

For example, in the case of a co-rotating platform 8 and undercarriageC, the angular velocity of both is directly dependent upon their axialvelocity, and is given by the formula:

wherein V is the axial velocity of platform 8 and undercarriage C infeet per second, p is the pitch of the helical track 5 in feet, and w isthe common angular velocity of the platform 8 and undercarriage C inradians per second about axis X.

Thus, it can readily be seen that for such an elevator E wherein highrates of load carrier 8 ascent and descent are desired, a load carrier 8locked to its associated undercarriage C must necessarily be subjectedto a high angular velocity. In general, high load carrier 8 angularvelocities are undesirable, especially if human operators are toaccompany the vehicles transported thereupon. Furthermore, such highangular velocities produce centrifugal forces which tend to drivevehicles against the outer peripheral boundary of the load carrier 8,thereby creating unbalanced load forces.

By providing a load carrier 8 and undercarriage C arrangement accordingto the invention which includes means such as the wheels 9 and motor 10for independently counter rotating the load carrier 8 relative to theundercarriage C, the aforementioned undesirable affects of load carrier8 angular velocity are eliminated. For example, where a vehicle isdriven onto the load carrier platform 8 along a radial line which isdisplaced 180 behind the angular position of the storage chamber 12 intowhich said vehicle is to be delivered with a single straight linetransfer path, and the elevation differential between said chamber 12and the initial load carrier 8 position is equivalent to ten turns ofthe helical track 5, the load carrier 8 is advanced 180 during thecourse of ten revolutions of the undercarriage C., i.e., 18 of loadcarrier 8 rotation per revolution of the undercarriage C. This can besimply accomplished by controlling the speed of the motor 10 so as tocounter rotate the load carrier 8 at a rate which is 18 per revolutionless than that of the undercarriage C.

For purposes of simplification, the means for delivering power to themotors 10 and 11 which are preferably electric motors, are not shown.However, as will be obvious to those skilled in the art, the electricalpower for driving the motors 10 and 11 can be conveniently transmittedby means of an additional helical rail (not shown) which is supported bythe guide rail 5, and is insulated therefrom in a manner similar tothird rail electric transit systems. By providing suitable brushcontacters (not shown) which engage the electric rail (not shown), saidbrush contacters being supported preferably by the undercarriage C,electrical power can be transferred from the electric rail onto theundercarriage C via said brush contacters, and thence to the motor 11 byconventional conductive means (not shown) for operating said motor 11.

To transfer electric power from the undercarriage C to the load carrier8 for operating the motor 10, slip rings (not shown) mounted on theundercarriage C and electrically connected to the brushes thereon can beused in combination without a second set of brush contactors (not shown)mounted to the bottom of the load carrier 8 for engagement with the sliprings, with the motor 10 being electrically connected for operation byelectric power transmitted via slip rings and second set of bruhes.Thus, with such electrical power transmission arrangement, there is nointerference with the independent rotation of the load carrier 8 withrespect to the undercarriage C, and electric power is available foroperating the motors 10 and 11 over the full extent of the helical track5.

As is shown in FIG. 2, the accommodating chambers 12 for motor vehiclesconveyed by the elevator E are of substantially similar geometry, andare arranged in substantial radial symmetry with respect to the axis X.FIG. 2, which is a section taken through the entrance and exit level ofthe building B, also shows a vehicle entrance area 13 and a vehicle exitarea 14, which are peculiar to that particular level of the building Band are not repeated in the upper levels thereof.

The entrance area 13 is provided with means for enforcing an exactlycentered orientation of incoming vehicles. As is shown on an enlargedscale in FIG. 3, these means comprise two pairs of spring-cushionedcheek members 15, 16 and 17, 18, with the cheek members 15 and 16 beingurged together by springs 50 and 51 respec- 8 tively, and the cheekmembers 17 and 18 being similarly urged together by springs 52 and 53respectively. The cheek members 15-18 define reeciving space which aretapered like wedges so that the successively incoming front and rearwheels of a vehicle are positioned until the spring forces are balancedwhen the center line of such vehicle is aligned with the center line ofthe entrance area 13.

In FIGS. 47, 19 is a transfer wagon which is moveable in a radialdirection on the load carrier 8, to which transfer wagon an arm 20 ispivotally connected. To the arm 20 is pivotally connected a support 20a,which is provided with rollers 20!). When the support 20a is swungdownward, as in FIG. 5, with the aid of a motor 21, the arm 20 is raisedfrom the horizontal position shown in FIG. 4.

At the front end of arm 20 is a transverse arm 20c on which twotransversely displaceable wheel gripper forks 22 and 23 are mounted. Thetransverse movement of forks 22 and 23 is effected by means of a 'motor33, which like motor 21 can be an electric motor.

The transfer wagon 19 is equipped with a motor 29, which moves it backand forth on the load carrier 8.

In FIG. 4, a vehicle V, such as an automobile stands in a parking area13, with its front wheels 24 and 25 and its rear wheels 27 and 28resting on the floor 2 thereof, the front wheels 24 and 25 being alignedwith the direction of transfer wagon 19 movement. With the arm 20 is inits lowest position, i.e. horizontal, and with the support 20a swungagainst it, and the gripper folks 22 and 23 brought togetheras shown indashed outline in FIG. 7, transfer wagon 19 is driven forward toposition arm 20 and gripper forks 22 and 23 underneath the vehicle V andbetween its front wheels 24 and 25. The gripper forks 22 and 23 are thenspread apart to grip the wheels 24 and 25, the support 20a is swungdownward to raise the arm 20 and thereby lift the wheels-24 and 25 asshown in FIG. 5. The vehicle V can then be drawn onto load carrier 8 byoperating motor 29 to drive transfer wagon 19 in the reverse direction.

On the side of the platform 8 which is opposite to the arm 20, as shownin FIGS. 4 and 7, the transfer wagon 19 is provided with another arm 30having gripper forks 31 and 32 so that the transfer wagon 19 can bemoved across the platform 8 throughout its diameter, and the platform 8can be rotated through for functionally substituting the gripper forks31 and 32 for those borne by arm 20.

A motor 33 effects the spreading of the forks 22 and 23, which serve forgripping the front wheels of the vehicle V. The motor 34 affects thetraverse of the arm 20 associated with transfer wagon 19, as may berequired for matching the dimensions of the building B to those of thevehicle V, or for a change to a different direction of operation of thearm 20. If desired, a second drive means (not shown) can be provided,said second rive means being movable on wheels across the platform 8 inthe direction of the same diameter on which the transfer wagon 19 ismovable. The direction of movement of the transfer wagon 19 need not beexactly aligned with a diameter. Different drive means (not shown) maybe arranged to be moved on wheels one behind the other in directionswhich extend parallel to a diameter of the platform 8.

As soon as the vehicle V has been moved in the previously describedmanner onto the load carrier 8, the motors 11 and 10 are started to movesaid load carrier 8 through the well 1 until the vehicle V is on thelevel of a preselected unoccupied chamber 12. Immediately thereafter,the motor 29 effects the traverse of the transfer wagon 19 so that thevehicle V is moved into the accommodating chamber 12. Then the motor 21lowers the arm 20. The motors 29 are subsequently started again toretract the transfer wagon 19 onto the load carrier 8. The motor ormotors 11 which drive the undercarriage C are then started to lower theload carrier into the position shown inFIG. 1, in which a new vehicle(not shown) can be received.

If desired, the load carrier 8 can be moved to a different level of thebuilding B to receive another vehicle (not shown) to be removed from thebuilding B.

The operation of the elevator E is by no means confined to the transferof vehicles between storage chambers 12 and the entrance and exit areas13 and 14 respectively, but can also be operated for transferringvehicles between various chambers 12 in the building B, in an obviousmanner.

FIG. 9 illustrates that the cross sectional shape of the building B neednot be circular as in the case of the building B, but can be providedwith radially arranged accommodating storage chambers 35 and 36 ofdifferent radial depths.

FIG. 10 shows another embodiment of the invention wherein the building Bis provided with a plurality of radially arranged storage compartments37 and an elevator arrangement having an annular load carrier 38, whichtravels up and down along the outside of the core compartments 37 so asto permit vehicles to be conveyed between various compartments 37located at various levels in the building B If desired, additionalvehicle compartments 39 can be arranged around the outer periphery ofthe load carrier 38 so that said load carrier 38 can be used fortransferring the vehicles and other load items between the compartments37 and 39.

FIG. 11 shows an elevator arrangement which is provided with loadcarriers 40, 41 and 42 which are movable along a common helical guidetrack 43. At typical levels throughout the building B radially arrangedstorage compartments 45 are provided together with an adjoining platformextension P which supports the helical track 43 so that the vehicles andother load items can be transferred from the load carriers 40, 41 and 42across the platform P and into and out of the chambers 45.

A somewhat similar arrangement according to the invent-ion is embodiedin the building B shown in FIG. 12, with the dilference being in thepartitioning of the storage area 44 which is relatively open rather thandivided into radial compartments, such as the compartments 45 of FIG.11.

FIG. 13 shows a building B in which an annular load carrier L having twoannular deck compartments 46 and 47 is provided. The load carrier L isguided by a helical track 48 which surrounds the exterior of thebuilding B and is fixedly supported thereby.

The operation of the elevators according to the various embodiments ofthe invention can be performed automatically by a suitable conventionalcontrol means, if desired. Limit switches (not shown) responsive to thevarious positions of the load carriers, and/or their associatedundercarriages C, can be provided to de-energize the drive motors and 11when the desired stopping station positions have been reached by theload carriers, and to energize said motors 10 and 11 for driving saidload carriers to designated subsequent positions. Such automaticallycontrolled operation is advantageous in that fewer and possibly nooperating personnel will be required within the storage buildings, butrather can be placed at the entrance and exit areas 13 and 14respectively for control of the conveyance of the vehicles into, out ofand within the building.

For example, an automatic elevator control programmer 49 can be providedas shown in FIG. 2 in a position between the entrance and exit areas 13and 14, so as to be operatively accessible from either of said areas 13and 14. In the typical operation of such a programmer 49, a plurality ofkeyholes (not shown) or revolving plugs (not shown) representing theparking places or chambers 12 in the building can be provided. With suchan arrangement, a self-service garage building can be maintained, sincethe vehicles can be parked by their drivers. In parking such vehicles, akey (not shown) can be provided in each keyhole corresponding to anunoccupied parking chamber 12, so that the driver drives his vehicle uponto the entrance area 13 and rotates one of these keys to a stop andremoves it to effect automatic parking of the vehicle in thecorresponding chamber 12.

An electronic control device (not shown) can be provided for controllingthe operation of the load carriers so as to selectively cause said loadcarriers to be returned to an intermediate waiting position or to moveto a selected chamber 12, or to the entrance and exit level, as desired.

When the driver of a vehicle parked in one of the storage chambers 12desires to have his vehicle returned it is only necessary for him toinsert the key into the corresponding keyhole on the programmer 49 andthereby initiate an automatic sequence of operations wherein the loadcarrier will be driven to the level of the storage chamber 12 whichcontains the vehicle, and at that level said vehicle will be pulled ontothe load carrier by its associated load transfer mechanism comprisingthe gripper 20 and drive means 19, and thence brought to the level ofthe exit area 14 and removed from the load carrier thereat by the actionof said transfer mechanism, thereby enabling the driver to enter hisvehicle and drive same away from the exit area 14.

In the construtcion of the elevator and building arrangement accordingto the invention, the helical guide track 5 and structural elements ofthe load carrier 8 and undercarriage C are advantageously made of steel,or any other suitable structural material. The various buildingstructures previously described herein can be advantageously constructedfrom prefabricated modular elements, such as those made from steel,sheet metal, reinforced or p-re-stressed concrete, etc., because each ofsaid buildings comprises a plurality of similar structural modules.

One of the typical advantages of the elevator and building arrangementaccording to the invention is that the helical guide track 5 may beassembled in sections as the construction of the building progresseswith the addition of successive stories. Once the lowermost story hasbeen completed, the load carrier 8 and its undercarriage C can beinstalled on the track 5, so as to provide an elevator E that can beused for transporting the prefabricated parts and materials necessaryfor the assembly of the upper story levels of the building. Thus,buildings which incorporate the elevator arrangement of the instantinvention can be erected without the assistance or heavy cranes withextensive swing ranges.

If desired, a lifting device (not shown), or crane can be mounted to theload carrier 8 to aid in the placing of the heavier prefabricated partsat various exposed unfinished portions of the building. For example,such a lifting device can be provided in the form of a tripod (notshown) fixedly mounted to the load carrier 8, and a movable jib arm (notshown) supported by said tripod.

In its basic form, the application of the elevator and buildingarrangement of the instant invention can be extended to the art of mineshaft construction simply by reversing the vehicle arrangement of theundercarriage C and load carrier 8 so that the undercarriage C ridesabove the load carrier 8 and is guided by a downwardly extending helicaltrack (not shown) similar to the track 5. This track (not shown) canlikewise be assembled in successively adjoining circular mine shaft wall(not shown) as it is extended downward during the progress ofconstruction. In such mine shaft construction application, the loadcarrier 8 can serve as a working platform, and can be provided withextenda-ble hydraulically operated propping members (not shown) whichhave bracing claws (not shown) for engaging the shaft wall in theexcavation region to prevent caveins.

If desired, digging machines and implements (not shown) can be mountedto the bottom of the load carrier 8.

As the plan outline of the load carrier can be made to correspond to thenecessarily circular cross sectional shape of the mine shaft, itordinarily will not be necessary to provide a space between the lateralboundry of the load carrier and the shaft wall for guide rods (notshown) andv safety catch rails (not shown). Consequently, the mine shaftmay be smaller in diameter so as to reduce the cost thereof. Also, theapplication of the elevator arrangement of the instant invention to mineshaft construction is advantageous because the need for pithead framesis elimi nated. Another advantage resides in the fact that the pitheadbuilding may be mounted directly over the mine shaft. The danger of theload carrier falling is also greatly reduced, however emergency cages(not shown) similar in construction to the load carrier can be kept inreadiness so as to .be moved quickly into the shaft and installed on theguide track for underground rescue operations should the need thereforarise.

If desired, a plurality of load carrier cages (not shown) smaller insize than the inside diameter of the guide track, and which travelsimultaneously in parallel vertical directions can be provided.

This mode of operation, which is analogous to the rapid sequenceoperation of railway trains, can be provided in accordance with theinvention with an advantageous re duction in costs and improvedperformance.

The application of the elevator arrangement of the instant invention isnot necessarily limited to the case of a vertically travelling loadcarrier, but may be applied in a manner which will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art upon reading the foregoing description of theinvention herein, to applications involving the construction of inclinedducts and in tunneling.

It should be noted that the basic invention described herein by way ofexample is susceptible of numerous variations, as will be apparent tothose skilled in the art, and is intended to be limited only by thefollowing claims.

I claim:

1. An elevator which comprises:

(a) a stationary, vertically disposed helical guide track having aplurality of spaced-apart turns to accommodate the transfer of objectsthrough open spaces between adjacent turns;

(b) a carriage means disposed in guided engagement with said guide trackfor support thereby, said carriage means being disposed for rotationrelative to said guide track about the longitudinal axis thereof and formovement along said axis when rotated;

(c) a first means supported by said carriage means to rotate samerelative to the guide track and about said axis;

(d) a load carrier means supported by said carriage means for movementtherewith along said axis, said load carrier means being disposed forindependent rotation relative to said carriage means about said axis;and

(e) a second drive means supported by said load carrier means adapted torotate the same in a direction opposite to that of the carriage meansrotation, whereby to reduce centrifugal forces upon said load carrierand upon objects carried by said load carrier, due to said carriagemeans rotation, which second drive means is further adapted to angularlyorient said load carrier upon arrival thereof at a selected elevationwhereby objects can be transferred to and from said load carrier meansthrough said adjacent guide track turn spaces upon arrival of the loadcarrier means at such elevation.

2. Elevator as claimed in claim 1, wherein said second drive means isadapted to rotate said load carrier at such a rate as to maintain saidload carrier at substantially zero angular velocity with respect to saidguide track.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,539,761 5/1925 Murray 214-161,709,914 4/1929 Klanke 214-16 1,797,325 3/1931 Chaudoir 21416 2,691,44810/1954 Lontz.

2,788,140 4/1957 Becker 214-16 2,853,239 9/1958 Morgan.

2,863,397 12/1958 Billings 21416 X 3,008,435 11/1961 Dupuy 187-17 X3,037,646 6/1962 Petit 187--1 X 3,159,293 12/1964 Bianca 214-16 GERALDM. FORLENZA, Primary Examiner.

F. E. WERNER, Assistant Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. l8719, 2S

